Welkin
by Nymbis
Summary: Star Wars AU. Jedi Knight Sai faces death when the friendship of a pink haired bounty hunter lands him in the middle of a conspiracy involving ex Republic soldier Uchiha Sasuke. SaiSaku, full cast and side pairings.
1. Prologue: A long, long time ago

**Welkin**

**Summary: **Star Wars AU. Jedi Knight Sai faces death when the friendship of a pink haired bounty hunter lands him in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy revolving around ex Republic soldier Uchiha Sasuke.

**Notes: **Well, thanks for giving the fic a chance despite it's cracky summary, first of all :o) this is a Star Wars style alternate universe, set in the timeframe of the Old Republic (about three thousand years before the original trilogy). It will be an ensemble cast, with the main pairing being Sai x Sakura and a few side ones thrown in. I hope you enjoy it :o)

**Prologue: A long, long time ago…**

_Her breath came out in ragged pants as she sprinted through the underbrush, thick, vine like plants swatting painfully at her legs as she made her way to where she had heard Naruto's cry. For the millionth time she cursed the climate of the jungle planet of Kono-ha, the heavy humidity in the air making sweat pour down her forehead, matting the pink hair to her skull._

_Her pair of blasters hit her hips from their place on the utility belt with enough force to bruise, and without a standard second's thought she tossed her heavy ion discharger into the underbrush, getting rid of the weight and allowing her hands freedom of movement as they battled against the foliage. _

_She fought past the last patch of vines before she saw a clearing in the distance, a familiar figure clad in the orange jumpsuit typical for pilots sprawled out on the ground._

"_Naruto!" She screamed, drawing one of her blasters as she closed the distance between them. _

_Immediately, her free hand went to the medic's pouch on her utility belt, drawing out a life support pack, "Naruto! Can you hear me?"_

_The young man groaned, his face a bloody pulp, and Sakura deducted that someone had smashed the butt end of a blaster rifle into his face._

"_Who did this to you?" She asked, setting aside her blaster as she checked his vitals._

_Naruto inhaled, his breathing raspy, more than likely due to his now broken nose, "Sasuke."_

_She shook her head, "I haven't found him. It was stupid of us to split up," she paled, "What if they got to him-?"_

_She was startled by Naruto's large hand clasping tightly around her forearm, the bloodied and tan skin a stark contrast to her own, "Sasuke," he reiterated, a desperate panic in his tone._

"_You have a concussion," Sakura said. It wasn't a question, "Let me signal the relief base-"_

_Just as her hand went to press the communicator in her ear, a sickening, a cold fear washed over her and her hand muscles began to spasm. The communicator went untouched as her hand twitched, falling to her side and staying there. Naruto too seemed to be feeling the effect, as she could feel his heart speed up under her hand. _

"_I'm afraid there will be no signal anyone, Sakura," came an oily voice and Sakura felt the nauseating sensations of dread sour in her stomach._

_She craned her head around, and her eyes widened when she saw a dark hooded figure in the middle of the field._

"_Sith!" She cried, realizing now that she was under some sort of Dark Jedi technique._

_The man's face wasn't visible underneath the hood, only a dark shadow. _

_Sakura tried to reach for her discarded blaster, but her muscles were no longer under her control._

"_I'm sorry about Naruto. But the idiot doesn't know when to shut his mouth," came the voice, this time it sounded different, more cold. More familiar._

_Naruto, under her frozen hand, began to make choking noises, the hand clenching around her forearm going up to his throat to fight against an invisible attacker._

"_Stop it!" Sakura screamed, gritting her teeth and trying to break the Sith's hold over her._

"_There is no stopping me," the oily voice was back again, the mouth grinning, "I get whatever I want. Isn't that right Sasuke?"_

"_Hm."_

_Sakura felt her scream die in her throat, "Sasuke?"_

_The Sith pulled back its hood, revealing the face of her friend and squad mechanic._

"_Yes, Sakura?" Sasuke's face purred, an elongated tongue trailing across his lower lip._

The woman woke with a start, a gasp escaping her lips as she kicked the sheets away from her. It was only after a few moments of breathing heavily that her surroundings kicked in, the bleak, four walls of the temporary apartment she'd rented out for the month staring back at her. Her hair shrouded her face as her mouth pressed into a tight line, her hand going for the glass of water on the night stand next to her.

She pressed the glass against her lips, relishing in the cool moisture as it slid down her throat and calmed her nerves.

A dream. Just a dream.

She let her eyes drift close to take a deep breath, and was immediately assaulted with the memory of Sasuke in Sith robes.

Her hand clenched around the glass before she threw it forward, the shattering sound echoing throughout the empty room.

"Stang," she whispered, taking another deep breath before pulling her knees under her chin, her wide, green eyes staring out of the apartment window and into the busy metropolis of a Nar Shadaar night.

On her nightstand, next to where the glass had been, was a blaster pistol and a datapad with a recording of the day's latest news story:

_FAMED JEDI MASTER UCHIHA ITACHI MURDERED BY RENEGADE ASSASSIN IN JEDI TEMPLE--AUTHORITIES HAVE NO CONFIRMED SUSPECTS--CAUTION IS ADVISED--_


	2. The Council's Decree

**Welkin**

_Chapter One: The Council's Decree_

"Recite the Jedi Code," the older Jedi with jagged hair instructed, slamming his walking stick against the ground.

The children sitting in the courtyard with perfect posture unbefitting their age all sounded off, "There is no passion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force. "

Their instructor nodded, his eye zeroing in on a small boy with short hair and dark eyes, "Sai."

The little boy looked up with his wide stare, blinking slowly, "Yes Master?"

"Why must Jedi follow the Code?"

"To prevent emotion from clouding our judgments," the boy offered, sounding exactly like a holocron.

"Why else?"

To Sai's side, a little girl with red hair had her hand up, stretching it higher with her other hand, face excited as she muttered, "Me! I know! Mememe!"

Their teacher ignored the exuberant girl, "Sai?"

Sai bowed his head low.

Their teacher exhaled through his nostrils, "It is to prevent the forming of bonds," the little girl let her hand down with a huff, glaring at Sai, "A Jedi's life is sacrifice, and when we die, we must dissolve utterly into the Force with no attachments. Selfish love leads to fear, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, hatred to suffering, and suffering to the Dark Side."

His eye scanned the faces of his pupils, resting on his future Padawan. Sai was still, his chubby face in as deep of thought as younglings could go, "That will be all for today. Be sure to work on your meditation exercises."

When all the other younglings rushed off to go play games, only Sai was left behind. When he was alone, save for his Master, he immediately assumed a meditation position.

Danzou's grim face lit up with something close to approval, "You'll make a fine Jedi one day, Sai."

Sai only nodded, concentrating on his task.

---

_Eleven years later…_

The young man stood perfectly in the middle of the circle, completely at ease despite the heavy eyes scrutinizing him from all angles. His posture was straight, hands clasped gently behind his back, with his chin tilted slightly at the main figure who was addressing him.

"Do you know why we've called you here?" asked the old man sitting directly across from where the man was standing, his face horrifically scarred with a cybernetic eye where his natural left one should be.

"No, Master Danzou," the man replied, his voice flat and unfeeling.

"An…injustice has been done against this Council," Grand Jedi Master Danzou said quietly, and all eyes of those in the session drifted to the sole empty chair, "Two months ago Master Itachi was murdered."

The man inclined his head in understanding, "I am aware Master. May he be one with the Force."

Several of the other Masters in attendance inclined their heads in a show of respect, saving Master Deidara, whose face descended into a heavy scowl.

"Myself and Masters Pein and Konan," the two Jedi flanking either side of him gave nothing away, only Master Konan bowing her head in a gesture of acknowledgement, "have discussed this at length, the result of which is that we, the Council, have a mission for you."

The man smiled, "A mission?"

"Yes. We request that you seek out the murderer of Master Itachi, and bring him before the Jedi Council here on Coruscant for trial."

The man's smile stretched, "Forgive me, Master Danzou, but does the Jedi Council not forbid acts of vengeance?"

Danzou's face, if possible, only grew graver, "This is not an act of vengeance. It is for the good of the galaxy that the culprit of the crime be brought to justice, he is a danger if he is allowed to run wild."

The man tilted his head to the side, "He?"

This time, Master Konan spoke up, "Perceptive as always. We believe we have uncovered the identity of the assassin."

Master Pein spoke next, "Uchiha Sasuke, the estranged younger brother of Master Itachi, and a deserter of the Republic Fleet."

"Rumors have circulated that he is in league with the Sith Lord Orochimaru," Master Danzou said, a harsh undercurrent to his words, "The fallen Jedi who murdered his Master, the late Sarutobi," he ran his tongue over his dry lips, staring his very own Padawan straight in the eyes, "You understand the necessity of success in this mission?"

The man nodded, "Yes, Master."

Danzou nodded in turn, "Very well. You have your orders, Jedi Knight Sai. A ship will be prepared for you in the docking bay, as well as an astromech droid."

"May the force be with you," Master Konan said quietly.

Sai bowed lowly, before turning and exiting the Council chamber without another word.

Within the circle of Jedi Masters, Pein and Konan met each others' eyes for a moment too long after the Jedi Knight left the room.

"You think that runt's right for this?" Asked Master Hidan, a deep scowl on his face.

"He's perfect. I have instructed him to be perfect," Danzou said coldly, turning to stare at the liberally titled wild card of the Jedi Council, "Any discrepancies you have with Knight Sai can be addressed to me, personally."

Hidan wisely fell silent.

"Now," Danzou said with an almost joyful smile, "To the real business."

---

Sai was characteristically silent as he made his way through the halls of the Jedi Temple to his quarters, face blank and focused.

As he turned, he wasn't surprised when he felt the Force presence of his fellow Jedi Knight hovering outside his door.

"I hear the Council sent you on a top priority mission," Karin said with a forced nonchalance, leaning against the wall and examining her nails with a practiced bored expression.

Sai smiled, "That doesn't surprise me, seeing that your ears are big enough to hear extraordinarily well."

Karin glared at him behind the infrared visor she always insisted on wearing, "What's the mission Sai?"

"You would have to ask the Council for that information. Now, if you'd please move aside, your large backside is blocking the door."

Karin stepped aside from the door, only to jab a finger into Sai's chest, "I know what, _who, _you're going after Sai-"

"Then I suppose you asking me earlier was an exercise in redundancy-"

"-And if you want any chance of finding Uchiha Sasuke, you're going to need me."

Sai calmly grasped her finger, moving it aside, "Your services are not required," he said with the politest smile he could form.

"The stang they're not!" Karin said in a huff, the sleeves on her robes billowing for a moment as she crossed her arms, "I'm the only one who can sense Force presences from _planets _away, _everyone _knows that I'm the only one who could track down-"

"If everyone knows, Jedi Karin, then that must include the Council, who didn't assign you to this mission," Sai said, moving past her and walking through the pressurized doorway as it opened, "Perhaps it is because you are not prepared to face your former Master again?"

Karin gaped, for once speechless, as the door slammed shut.

Sai inhaled, pleased that that particular unpleasantness was over, and made his way over to his storage locker at the foot of his bed.

Despite living at the Temple for over fifteen years, Sai's living quarters were painfully bare. There were no sentimental effects from his numerous missions over the years, no holovids or leisure datapads, the only thing even resembling a personal item was the small workbench he installed himself after his tenth year at the Temple, cluttered with several spare parts and visual holocrons. It was Sai's only hobby, constructing digital pictures. But it was a hobby more in place because he was expected to have a hobby, and he didn't so much as blink as he realized that he would be leaving them behind.

He bent down to the locker, inputting the code as it snapped open. From there, he collected his spare set of Jedi robes, a few life support kits, the small amount of money he had held on to over the years, and his lightsaber.

His hands paused for a moment as he handled the weapon. Unlike most of the Jedi at the Temple, Sai had chosen to build one with a shorter blade. The hilt was smooth, no personal adornments, and he knew that if he were to ignite it, the pale blue signifying a Jedi Guardian would light up the room.

Deciding that he had taken too long already, Sai clipped the lightsaber to the belt of his tunic, and lifted his belongings over his shoulder. He closed his eyes for a moment, pleased that he could no longer sense Karin's presence outside of his room, and didn't look back at the place that had been his room for almost two decades.

He still had one last stop before he could head to the hanger bay.

---

"Here you are," said the apprentice Jedi historian Juugo before Sai could even announce his presence, handing a datapad over to Sai as he entered the archives.

Sai stared at the datapad, "What is this?"

"Everything that we have on Uchiha Sasuke," Juugo explained, a bashful look coming across his face, "Master Danzou asked me to prepare it."

Sai tucked it into his outer robe, "Tell him it was received."

Juugo inclined his head, "I understand. But you had better get going, Suigetsu has been…vocal about his needing to do other things," the timid historian winced when he recalled the exact words that had come out of Suigetsu's mouth over the com link when Juugo had timidly suggested a meditation trance.

"He is overcompensating for his small-" Juugo sent him a wide-eyed look, "Force abilities, no doubt," Sai said calmly, bowing his head in a gesture of farewell as he left.

"May the Force be with you, Jedi Sai," Juugo whispered quietly, before going to attend to the catalogue.

---

"Do you always make a habit of delaying direct orders?" greeted Jedi Knight and resident astromechanics enthusiast Suigetsu as Sai entered the second hanger bay, his dark eyes taking in a small ship. The half Mon Calamarian frowned at him, rubbing his coolant stained hands dry with a towel.

Sai, as he usually did, ignored Suigetsu, "This is the ship?" he asked slowly.

Suigetsu growled, but his attention was successfully diverted from Sai's lack of punctuality to ship maintenance, "I know it's an ugly heap of junk, but it'll get you to the Outer Rim and back, I guarantee it."

"It looks barely serviceable," Sai agreed, nodding his head.

Suigetsu snorted, pointing an accusing finger at his fellow Knight, "Don't give me that load of gizka shit, this thing goes faster than anything else we've got."

"The Jedi Order is not renowned for their ships," Sai said with a smile.

Suigetsu, who had made his mark among the countless other Padawans and Knights at the Temple by being the best astromechanic, and therefore being the one who slaved over the Jedi's limited resources of ships on a daily basis, felt his temper grow short, "Oh what do you know," he said sourly.

"It appears to be a Corellian model, but the scorch marks on the hull implies that it sustained damage in a space fight, and most likely the shields had to be replaced-"

"It wasn't a literal question," Suigetsu grumbled, "Well, since you're so enthusiastic about it, yes, I'd be glad to show you around _The Paper Tiger._"

"_The Paper Tiger?_"

Suigetsu shrugged, "You were right about it being a retired Corellian fighter, the guy who owned it prior to us named it after some sort of rabid beast that only lives on N-kada IV," he activated the docking ramp, "Let's introduce you two, huh?"

Sai followed the astromechanic up the ramp, dark eyes taking everything in with critical detail as Suigetsu pointed out the sole personal quarter, fitted with a bunk bed, the mess area, the navigational charts, the med bay, the cargo hold, the cockpit, and various other nooks and crannies of the ship before he halted in front of the only sealed door on the entire ship.

"This is the garage, there's a lot of exposed wires and pipes, so I'd leave this all to the astromech unit since you can't tell the difference between a hydrospanner and a coolant adhesive-"

"A hydrospanner is a tool used for fastening-"

"I wasn't being literal Sai. Force, do you need to work on that," Suigetsu said with a huff, before he paused in his step, a thought obviously just having occurred to him, "Oh yeah, and the astromech's a bit of a pain," Suigetsu said with a wicked gleam in his eyes, "It was built by Master Sarutobi, who made the bucket of bolts impervious to memory wipes so it's got a few programming…quirks."

"Quirks," Sai reiterated, not sure he understood.

"You'll see," Suigetsu said around his grin, the serrated teeth shining with the light from the door control panel as he opened the garage, "Sai, meet K0-N0, the most irritating astromech on the planet. K0-N0, meet Sai, the most irritating Jedi on the planet."

Sai took in the squat droid as its head swiveled around, beeping loudly at him. The astromech appeared to be a standard unit, the only discrepancies being the thick, blue-green band around its core and the oddly shaped lump of metal covering its processor.

"I don't understand, why does the astromech have a protective layer over its top?"

"You lucked out by getting the only droid in the galaxy that needs to wear a helmet," Suigetsu gave a low whistle, "Force knows Master Danzou isn't doing you any favors by giving him to you. Makes me almost happy to have been Master Kisame's Padawan instead."

Sai frowned, staring down K0-N0, "I am your Master-"

K0-N0 wheeled its head around, a miffed beep coming from it.

"It seems rather rude," Sai commented observantly.

"Maybe I _can _see why Master Danzou gave him to you," Suigetsu said with an eye roll.

The K0-N0 unit squealed indignantly, turning its head around and giving a shuddering sound with its processor that sounded oddly similar to a human huff.

Suigetsu couldn't keep the laughter in as he clapped Sai on the back, "The Force be with you on finding that guy, you're going to need it."

Sai said nothing, merely walked directly over to the cockpit, his hands ghosting over the controls.

Suigetsu walked up behind him, turning on a datapad, "The Council expects standard weekly reports on your progress, if you haven't successfully detained Uchiha Sasuke in a Coruscant year's time, they will be forced to send," Suigetsu's face puckered like he had been asked to lick a Wookie, "_Karin _to accompany you_._"

Sai nodded, realizing that Suigetsu was merely outlining his mission objectives before he launched.

"If you do apprehend Uchiha, there are several high dosage sedatives in the med bay, as well as a pair of restrainer cuffs, although those aren't going to do much good against a Sith. You are then to contact the Council, who will arrange a hearing on Coruscant."

"I understand."

"Good," Suigetsu mumbled, turning off the datapad, "I input the coordinates for Nar Shadaar in your star maps-"

"Nar Shadaar?" Sai's eyebrows furrowed in question.

"I doubt you've heard of it, no Jedi in their right mind would go to Nar Shadaar. It's a planet run by a crime syndicate, full of slavers, bounty hunters, and assassins. I figured it's as good of a place as any to start hunting down a Sith."

Sai nodded, not even batting an eyelash at the description.

"I suppose that's it then. I'll be going now, if you run into any problems, feel free to ask K0-N0 for assistance," Suigetsu said with a bit of a vindictive smirk, exiting the cockpit and heading for the docking ramps.

Sai grimaced at the thought of getting the irritating astromech to coordinate, but his hands started running over the controls, preparing _The_ _Paper Tiger _to fly.

The very second Suigetsu stepped off the docking ramp, Sai raised it and _The_ _Paper Tiger _began its journey to Nar Shadaar- leaving a very annoyed astromechanic in its wake whose sleeve had been caught in the ramp when it closed.


	3. Cantina Yamato!

**Welkin**

_Chapter Two: Cantina Yamato!_

"I passed! I passed the medical entrance exam!" He heard his daughter cry as she rushed into his work area, a holomessage in her hand and a huge smile on her face.

He set down the armor inlay he had been working on, lifting up his shield visor and giving her a hug, "That's wonderful Sakura!"

"The Republic military has the hardest medical exam in the core systems, dad," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes.

"Ah…well, it's extra wonderful then."

Sakura groaned.

He smiled, turning back to his work but carrying on the conversation, "Do you know which squadron you're going to be assigned to?"

Sakura chewed on her lower lip, taking a seat next to her father's workbench, "No…"

"But?" prompted Haruno, his plasma torch soldering together two pieces of durasteel.

"But I hope I get squad seven," Sakura said, almost guiltily as her feet started kicking in the air, "That's the one Uchiha Sasuke-"

Haruno set down the torch and faced his only child, "Sakura, this is your lifelong career-"

"I _know _dad."

"-request a squadron _you _want to be a part of, not the one with the boy you like."

Sakura crossed her arms, her chin tilting up stubbornly, "The squad _I _want to be on is the one with Sasuke."

Haruno sighed, frowning as he went back to his work, his daughter quickly changing the subject to what she was going to wear for her induction ceremony.

---

_Seven years later…_

"I believe you owe this man some money," Sakura said politely, her blaster digging into the ribs of the Rodian she had in front of her, his wrists and ankles bound with restrainer cuffs.

"Me no owe anything! Me no owe!" He said, squirming and failing to get out of Sakura's grip.

A booming laugh was heard across the room as the Hutt placed its short arms over his bulging torso. The Twi'lek translator to his side nodded, and she turned to face Sakura.

"My master finds it amusing that _anyone _on Nar Shadaar thinks he doesn't owe him money."

Sakura nodded, her mouth in a grim line, before she turned her attention back to the alien in front of her, "Here's the deal, if the Hutt doesn't get paid, _I _don't get paid, and that's not a good situation for any of us," she said, and the Rodian suddenly found the blaster pressed alongside his temple.

The alien let loose a nervous chuckle, his hands up in a placating gesture, "Me willing to reach compromise."

The Hutt started laughing again, his massive tongue trailing over his lower lip as a string of garbled mess came out of his mouth.

"My master is willing to pay you full price, if only for the entertainment," the Twi'lek said, addressing Sakura.

She gave a tired sigh, placing her blaster pistol into its holster on her utility belt, thankful to be done with this utterly annoying job. The Rodian had been hard to track down, his contacts constantly misfeeding her information, but after a solid week's worth of hunting, she had finally cornered the irritating alien in a cantina playing pazaak.

Sakura finally managed a smile, "Oh good."

The Twi'lek went over to a metal container, and the Rodian in Sakura's hands twitched in dread as she opened it and withdrew something.

"For the bounty hunter," she said, holding a pouch of credits, "Ms.-?"

"Haruno," she said easily, letting go of the Rodian who fell forward without her supporting his weight.

"Ms. Haruno," the Twi'lek said with a polite bow of her head, her lekku twitching slightly, "My Master is impressed with your services, he'll be sure to put a good word in for you within the circuit."

Sakura felt her face twist into a grimace at the thought of being a highly commendable bounty hunter to the Exchange, "That won't be necessary," she said, grabbing the pouch of credits and counting them out on her hand.

"It is nothing, the Exchange rewards its bounty hunters well-"

"Thanks," Sakura mumbled after she had finished counting. And, ignoring the Twi'lek, she bowed her head low to the Hutt, who only laughed in return.

Without a second look at either the Hutt, his translator, or the Rodian, Sakura turned on her heel and left the Hutt's apartments, thankful to be out of his presence. She hated working for the crime lords on Nar Shadaar, but as an otherwise unemployed bounty hunter she had little other options. The Hutts ran crime on this planet, and crime was what usually put out bounties. There was a small comfort in the fact that anyone likely to be dealing with the Hutts was just as slimy as they were, but Sakura was sure once she got enough credits to make the tune-ups on her ship, she'd be more than eager to kiss this corrupted planet goodbye.

Her walk was slow as she made her way back to her temporary apartments, seeing as the bunk on her ship had been destroyed during the same firefight that was to blame for her miserable amount of debt. It was her own fault, for flying without security codes in military controlled space, but if she were to give her real reason for her ship hovering in the Outer Rim, they would have shot her down faster. Sakura counted her fortunes though, as her ship had enough power left in her to limp to the nearest spaceport, which was, unfortunately, Nar Shadaar.

As she walked, she was oblivious to the crowds, the merchants, the flashing advertisements urging her to watch Aburame Shino in the swoop racing finals, and most importantly, the news holovids that were projected every standard block.

On the entrance to the pazaak den.

_JEDI KILLER STILL ON THE LOOSE! _

Next to a droid mechanic's shop.

_JEDI COUNCIL HAS STILL NOT ISSUED AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE DEATH OF REVERED MASTER UCHIHA ITACHI-_

On the outside of her own apartment building.

_INVESTIGATORS HAVE FORMED A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LATE JEDI MASTER AND REPUBLIC DESERTER UCHIHA SASUKE-_

Sakura stopped as she read that one, and felt something heavy sink into the pit of her stomach.

Forget the nice, hot shower in the refresher unit and subsequent early bedtime, she was going to the cantina and getting a drink.

---

The nearest cantina was a shoddy place, at best. The flickering neon light outside of the double pressurized doors barely glowing enough to proclaim _Cantina Yamato! _in Basic. Sakura sighed, fingering the bag of credits in the pocket of her overskirt, her mind mentally assessing how much was an expendable allowance in light of her ship repairs and whether or not that allowance was enough to get her properly tossed.

Putting on her best tough girl face, and making sure her blaster was within reach, Sakura trudged in.

Instantly, her mind observed the layout of the area. In the immediate entrance were a few gambling and pazaak tables, leading up to a bar where a very plain looking man served drinks with next to no enthusiasm. To the left was a dancing stage, a few Twi'leks and humans gathering the attention of the male crowd as they moved sinuously to the music provided by a Bith band.

She could feel the eyes train on her as she entered, the small size of the cantina definitely indicating this was a 'members only' sort of establishment. She ignored them, however, walking straight ahead and taking a seat at the bar.

The person next to her, a sickly looking man, gave her a disinterested glance before turning back to his cup, a coughing fit delaying his drink for a few moments.

"Bartender!" Sakura said loudly, straining to be heard over the music.

The dark haired man turned to look at her, his round, large eyes staring without blinking.

Sakura waited for a few moments for a response, and, receiving none, she hesitantly asked, "A glass of juma, please?"

The barkeep gave a long suffering sigh before pouring the glass, sliding it over to her.

Sakura tried to fight the frown on her face, put off by the barkeep's rudeness, but the juma was cheap and strong and she wouldn't be able to remember even the name 'Uchiha Sasuke' if she had enough of it, so she let the impoliteness slide.

By about her fourth glass, the barkeep finally spoke to her.

"You look familiar."

Sakura froze the hand reaching out for the glass, "What do you mean?" She asked levelly.

"Not too many people have that color hair, even out here," the barkeep said, his eyebrows furrowing, "But where do I know you from-?"

Sakura grabbed the glass and polished it off in one gulp before slamming it down on the counter, "Another," she demanded.

Barkeeps didn't live long as barkeeps if they didn't notice the stop asking questions tone of voice when they heard it, "I'll make it a double," he said with a smile.

Sakura smiled back, "That'd be appreciated."

"Republic," came the low voice of her neighbor for the first time, his dark eyes scrutinizing his drink and not looking at her.

She felt her heart slow down a few beats, because she wasn't so drunk that she didn't understand, "…excuse me?"

"You're Republic," the man said, picking up his drink and sipping from it.

"You're mistaken," Sakura replied, thankful when a small cup slid forward to her.

"No, I'm not."

She could feel her infamous temper start to rise within her, "Yes, you are. Not that it's any of your business."

The tired looking man laughed, a low, guttural sound, before placing a few credits on the counter, "You never leave behind being a soldier," he whispered, leaning over her shoulder before turning away and heading towards the exit.

Sakura watched him go, a queasy sensation filling her when she saw that the back of his flight suit had a faded spiral logo imprinted on it. Mechanically, like a poorly lubricated droid, she turned forward on her bar stool and took a long drink from her glass.

The barkeep was staring at her, an all too knowing look on his face, "Want another?"

"I'm cutting myself off," Sakura said quietly to her juma juice.

---

Not too far away from Cantina Yamato!, _The Paper Tiger _descended onto a landing pad with a heavy sort of clunk, causing anything not bolted down to fly.

Including a very irritated astromech unit.

K0-N0 screeched, its sensors flashing red and its head swiveling around in complete circles.

Sai, from where he was trying to catch his breath after having dug a crash webbing into his gut with the speed of the landing, said dismissively, "You have no nerve endings, there is no way you felt that all the way to your core intel, like you claim."

K0-N0 only screeched louder, turning around and wheeling out of the cockpit in a rush.

Sai carefully undid the safety restraints on the crash webbing, looking out of the window and taking in the sight of Nar Shadaar for the first time.

The surface of the planet was almost entirely covered in metal buildings and infrastructure, not too unlike Coruscant. However, Nar Shadaar had a distinctly unwelcoming atmosphere to it, and Sai felt his Force enhanced intuition warning him against this place.

"I suppose it would be prudent to survey my surroundings," Sai said, the slightest of touch of apprehension in his tone.

K0-N0, from its place before the star charts, gave a two note beep that sounded suspiciously like, "Well, duh."

Sai ignored him, dutifully preparing a voice lock on the cockpit controls and lowering the docking ramp. The pressure door barely creaked open before K0-N0 was speeding towards it, Sai frowning before chasing after the unruly astromech.

As soon as Sai hit the open air of Nar Shadaar, he cringed and stopped mid-jog, wishing he could go back to where the atmosphere didn't reek of vomit and rot. However, his K0-N0 unit, who did not have olfactory sensors, paid little heed to the stench as it wheeled forward quickly off the landing strip, making a sharp turn towards the entertainment district of the seedy planet.

Sai debated the worth of following the droid, somewhat glad to be rid of him if for only a few moments. However, a nagging thought in the back of his mind, the one that sounded like Master Danzou, reminded him that the K0-N0 held all of Sai's navigational charts and mission objectives, and should it be intercepted by the wrong people, Sai's entire mission would be compromised.

With a forced, grim sort of determination, Sai started to run after the unruly thing, and was amazed at the speed the little droid could maneuver. As soon as he left the landing docks, there was a noticeable surge of people, aliens and humans alike, who made spotting a tiny, helmeted droid infinitely more difficult.

Sai, however, was not as inconspicuous in his Jedi robes, and as he weaved through the crowds, several heads turned his way, most stares landing on the cylindrical weapon attached to his belt.

After a few moments, Sai stopped running, his jog descending into a walk as he realized that he had given his droid too much of an advantage and that the linear pursuit wasn't going to be benefiting him anytime soon. His eyes were scanning the rooftops of the buildings for a possible vantage point when he heard a strained man's cry.

"Someone! Help!"

Sai inclined his head in the direction of the noise, and through the intermittent gaps in the crowd of people, he was able to make out the scene of a man being cornered by two others, both wearing a black and gray uniform. His curiosity compelling him, Sai slowly walked over, his step cautious.

As he approached, he noticed that a human male, younger, probably in his mid to late twenties, and a Devronian were both assaulting an older man, kicks and punches going at him as he cried. Sai noticed that the Devronian had a particularly close handle on the blaster pistol by his side.

"What are you doing?" Sai asked finally, announcing his presence as his stance tensed, a hand drifting to his side.

"None of your business," growled out the human.

"Keep walking," agreed the Devronian next to him in Basic, the man in front of them tensing.

"A Jedi!" The man seemed to realize, his eyes brightening, "You've got to help me!"

Sai's face was emotionless as he surveyed the area, his tone completely neutral as he stared at the man asking for help, "Why are they beating you?"

The troubled man looked at the ground, licking his split lip with his tongue, "I owe some money…"

The human assaulter snorted, turning and glaring at Sai, "This is business, _Jedi, _no need for you to get involved," he said with a disrespectful snort, "Or are you going to cut down two civilians with your lightsaber because a man can't pay off his debt?"

"It's not my fault! Your thugs already raided my apartment-"

"Because you were late with the payments, old timer!" The Devronian said, sending a harsh kick to the man's ribs. The older one let out his breath, gripping his sides and groaning heavily.

Sai went to the beaten man's side, helping him up with a steadying hand, "I would be willing to settle his debt," he said matter of factly.

The human snorted, "You couldn't afford it, Jedi dog."

Sai's smile spread, "I happen to have a state of the art astromechanical droid for sale, a K0-N0 unit."

The wheezing man's hand clenched around the sleeve of Sai's Jedi robe, for once feeling a strange sort of hope filter in.

The Devronian looked at his human partner, asking the man something in a language Sai couldn't comprehend. The human replied quickly, the two of them sending quick, nervous looks over to both the indebted man and Sai.

"Who're you thugs beating on now?" Came a feminine and slightly slurred voice from behind the pair of assailants, and Sai tensed his muscles, a hand going for the lightsaber attached at his belt for the first time in this conversation.

The human's tone was hardly welcoming and his hand went to the holster at his side, "You!"

"This is Hutt business," emphasized the Devronian.

Sai gave the old man a steadying hand up, his dark eyes peering behind the thugs to evaluate the intruder. She was young, but probably older than him, and her stance indicated inebriation. On her waist was a utility belt, and she had what appeared to be several grenades, different models of ranged weapons, and a vibrosword hanging from it.

"You think I care?" She demanded, a hard glint in her eyes and her mussed hair falling over her face.

The human looked away from the female intruder, a wary sort of respect emanating from him like a bantha cornered by a krayt dragon, he muttered something to his partner in the strange language again.

The Devronian turned to Sai, "You can contact our employer, Katsuya, if you want to talk about absolving this wretch's debt," with a nod, the two of them turned around, giving the woman some space as they left the area, she grinned in a feral manner at both of them, and when the Devronian passed he gave a visible shudder.

The man still holding his breath collapsed in relief, "Thank you Jedi!"

"Jedi, huh?" Said the woman with a snort, her eyes narrowing at the man, "You again? I thought I bailed you out of your pazaak debt last week."

The man struggled to stand, scratching the back of his head, "I…may have gone back into the den this week."

Sai smiled at the man that he had helped, "…You are being harassed for a gambling debt?"

"…and for being late on spice payments, but I swear I'll afford to pay them back after you help me with Katsuya the Hutt!" The man said frantically.

The woman looked at the Jedi levelly, "Don't bother with him. He'll just spend it on more stims. Trash is better left in the compactor, if you catch my meaning," she groaned, rubbing the spot between her should and neck before giving a drunken wave goodbye, "Oh well, he's your problem now, Jedi."

Sai was silent as he watched her walk away, a slight stagger to her step.

The indebted man turned to Sai, "We're lucky we're alive. Do you have any idea who that was?"

He didn't even bother waiting for a response, which was fortunate, as Sai was unlikely to give one.

"Mitarashi Anko. She's dangerous, they even say she's an ex mercenary for the Republic," the man's voice dropped to a darker, bitter tone, "Not that the whole kriffing planet's not crawling with ex Republic already."

Sai suddenly paid the man much more attention at the latter statement, "Ex Republic?"

The man snorted, "That's right, and they bring a whole bunch of trouble with them."

"Do you know if someone named Uchiha Sasuke has been through Nar Shadaar?"

The man snorted, a chuckle escaping his mouth before he noticed Sai's completely level expression, "Oh, you're serious. If _the_ Uchiha Sasuke were to come to Nar Shadaar, I'd give him five minutes before some desperate bounty hunter ties him up with a pretty purple bow and hands him over to one of the numerous interplanetary governments posting a target on his head," the man rolled his eyes, "_Everyone _has been after that kid since the war ended. You'd have better luck trying to kill a bantha with a plasma torch."

Sai stared at the man for a few minutes, and it was obvious that behind his dark eyes calculations were occurring.

After a few moments, Sai gave a perfectly polite bow, "I'm afraid I must be going. Good luck in absolving your completely earned debt."

The man's mouth dropped, "Hey! You said you were going to pay it off with your astromech-!"

Sai smiled evenly, "I had no intention of doing so. If it escaped your attention, my astromechanical droid is currently not with me."

"B-b-but you're supposed to be a Jedi-!" the man pressed, completely flabbergasted.

Sai stood up from his bow, "Enjoy your evening."

With that, Sai began his walk back towards the entertainment section of the planet, hoping there would be a lead to information on either Uchiha Sasuke or the infernal droid that he didn't really want back.


	4. The Gunwoman

**Chapter Three: The Gunwoman**

"The Council has come to the conclusion that we cannot allow you to continue your Jedi training, Padawan," Danzou said clearly.

"The risk is too great, now that Orochimaru has revealed himself as a Sith and has murdered Grand Master Sarutobi," Konan said calmly, her hands folded pristinely in her lap.

The girl in the middle of the circle was silent, but her eyes spoke of her fury, narrowed in on Danzou's face as her small fists clenched at her sides. Never before had a person looked so isolated standing in the middle of the Council's circle.

"There is a great anger in you," Pein said, his ringed eyes staring straight through the girl, looking at something far away, "You let your emotions control you, and because of that you can never truly follow the Code."

The girl stayed quiet, moving her poisonous glare to the circle seated around her until it landed on each and every member of the Council.

"It's obvious to any Force sensitive that Orochimaru has left his mark on you," said Master Kakuzu, his green, glowing eyes holding no pity as he stared down the young child.

"We have secured a spot for you within the Republic military academy," continued Pein, "Hopefully your time there can remove the taint of the dark side from you."

The girl's jaw clenched, her small shoulders shaking in barely suppressed rage.

"As acting Grand Master," Danzou said with finality, "I officially disband you from the Jedi Order. You are to turn in your lightsaber and your robes, a shuttle will leave for the academy early tomorrow morning."

The girl did not bow as she left, her frame rattling and her strides long. She only paused for one moment, to meet the gaze of the younger Padawan who had been watching the entire exchange, a nod of goodbye escaping, as well as a hasty ruffle of his hair.

He watched her go, his dark eyes curious and calculating.

---

_Seventeen years later…_

When Anko walked into Cantina Yamato!, she wasn't all that shocked when everyone's heads looked up and the group did a collective shrug before returning to their drinks.

She stalked over to the bar, drunk but not drunk enough for tonight, and she was surprised to see a newcomer sitting in her usual spot. The imposter was young, probably still a teenager, with the most obnoxious hair Anko had ever seen. But at her hip was a blaster, and not a shiny one with all the toys and buttons the naïve used to play hero, but one that was dingy and had seen a lot of firefights from the looks of things. Anko's eyes narrowed, she recognized the make of that gun. She used to have one. They were only issued by one manufacturer, a manufacturer that had a government contract with the Republic.

Anko decided not to kick her out of her seat. Let it never be said that Mitarashi Anko was devoid of mercy.

"Yamato! Drink!" She barked, planting herself in the chair next to the drunk girl and rubbing the spot between her neck and shoulder for the millionth time that evening, whether it was physical pain or phantom from memories, tonight she couldn't be sure.

"Hello Anko," Yamato said, his plain face mustering a weak smile as he filled her the usual, sliding the glass over the counter where she caught it with a grace that betrayed her current state of sobriety.

"Hey," she said, swallowing down the whole thing before gesturing for another.

Yamato gladly obliged, "Looks like you've got a head start."

Anko smirked, "The other place kicked me out."

"I wish I could say I was surprised," Yamato said with a smile before returning to her tarisian ale.

While he was busy preparing her the second drink, her eyes went up to the holonet in the corner of the cantina, and when she read the message she wanted to hurl, and not just from the unforceable amount of liver poison she had consumed.

_--MASTER UCHIHA ITACHI WAS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS EXPLOITS ON THE PLANET ONDERON DURING THE SECOND SITH WAR--_

"Idiots," Anko snarled, tossing back the drink that she sure didn't need but she sure as hell wanted, and glaring at the words as they scrolled by in Basic.

"Tell me about it," grumbled the girl to her side, her pink, drunken head rolling over to stare away from the holonet.

Anko sent her a quizzical look, but turned back to her drink. If there was something Mitarashi Anko knew how to do, it was mind her own business.

Apparently her drinking neighbor didn't.

"What's wrong with your neck?" She murmured.

"Nothing," Anko bit off tersely, "Where's that drink Yamato?"

"Coming."

"It's not nothing," the girl said matter of factly.

Anko pulled up the collar of her coat higher, even though she knew that the marking wasn't visible to begin with, "It's not your kriffing business."

The girl seemed undeterred, and the goofy smile of a drunk with an idea spread across her face, "I could take a look, if you want. I used to be a medic-"

Something passed over the girl's face then, a sort of hollowness that made her grip her half empty glass tighter. And Anko immediately deducted when the girl used to be a medic.

"Don't worry about it," Anko said, her tone a little less harsh if not with pity than a sense of camaraderie that all survivors felt, "Nothing a medic can do for it anyway."

She bit her lip, "My…friend used to have the same problem."

Anko thought the girl was a little too drunk for her own good, but she felt compelled to keep talking to her, "What's your name, kid?"

"Haruno."

"I'm Anko."

"Nice to meet you," she said, her cheek pressed against the counter and the slightest bit of drool coming out of the corner of her mouth.

"Here you go Anko," Yamato said, his dark gaze going to the drunken pile of girl to her side with something resembling concern.

"Thanks," Anko snorted gesturing to the girl who was in an inebriated pile of mush, "Did you ID her? Are you sure the runt's even old enough to get as keyed as she is?"

Yamato gave the wane smile that was becoming customary for his face, "Since the war, I let anyone who needs one, have one."

"Fair point," Anko said with a slight hiss as she downed the drink, gesturing for yet another. Yamato shook his head with disapproval but his hands went to the glasses anyway.

"I've had a helluva night, Yamato," Anko said, her eyes still flickering to the holonet despite herself.

"Me too," mumbled Haruno.

Anko snorted, deciding that some amusement was in order, "Oh yeah? What makes you say that, pinkie?"

The girl's nose crumpled at the nickname, "Brought a Rodian in."

Anko made a spinning motion with her index finger, not even breaking her gaze from the holonet.

The conversation was broken by the sound of the pressurized doors opening to the cantina, and as per routine, everyone's heads swerved to look at the newcomer, even Haruno's.

"Mitarashi!" Proclaimed an older man from the doorway, and Anko groaned deeply, cradling her head in her hands, "I knew I'd find you here!"

Haruno squinted as the man came rushing up to the bar, "Hey I know you," she slurred, "I gave you a hundred credits to pay off your debt once…"

The old man rubbed his hands together nervously, "…that's very nice," he turned to Anko, "I need your help!"

"No," Anko said, gladly taking the drink Yamato had quickly procured.

"But the Jedi-!"

"Beat it!" She snarled, throwing back the tarisian ale.

"The Jedi left me to die!"

"Apparently he didn't do a good job of it," Anko said dispassionately, ignoring the man completely.

Haruno turned towards the man, "Maybe I can," she hiccupped, "Help. I'm a bounty hunter, you know."

"He's trash, Haruno, you're better off in a contract with Katsuya," Anko muttered.

The old man now paid Anko next to no attention, turning to grasp Haruno's hands dramatically, "If you could just spare a few credits…"

Haruno snorted, bitter laughter escaping her, "I'm broke."

The man promptly threw away Haruno's hands.

"Go away," Anko said to the pest, hand waving him off.

The old man frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, "You're heartless, both of you. You're worse than that Jedi, running off after he promised to help. I bet you're both after Uchiha Sasuke too-"

While Anko paused from her drink at the name, the reaction from Haruno was far more pronounced.

Instantly, all traces of inebriation were gone, replaced by a stern, cold determination as she hopped off her barstool and gripped the man by his collar.

"Where did he go?" She demanded carefully, her green eyes narrowed and her mouth frowning. Anko watched the exchange from the corner of her eye, a stiffness in her shoulders.

"Entertainment district, towards the swoop tracks," the old man squeaked, his thumb pointing over his shoulder.

Haruno didn't even wait for him to hit the ground before she was running out of the cantina.

"Looks like you've got yourself another regular," Anko said dryly to Yamato as the pressure door slammed closed, nudging the terrified old man in the ribs with the toe of her boot.

Yamato let out a very low, long sigh, before going back to cleaning glasses.

---

"GogogoGO you lazy son of a nerf herder!" The woman screamed at her screen, which depicted a swoop racer maneuvering throughout the course, going faster than safety and mortality required but still not enough for the spectator as she started beating her fist against the monitor, "YOU CALL THAT RACING? You completely missed the launcher pad!"

Unbeknownst to her, a small astromechanical droid was watching the scene with great interest, even letting loose a low, tinny whistle of appreciation at the swears that were escaping her mouth as the swoop racer she had bet on clipped its left engine on a wall after overcorrecting a turn.

"Moron! That'll shave at _least_ two nanoseconds off of your time!"

The droid let off a chorus of beeps that could have been construed as a human snicker.

"Ugh," the woman proclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air after the swoop racer crossed the finish line, "That is the _last _time I'm betting on Aburame Shino," she said sternly, turning off the monitor and blowing a strand of dark brown hair out of her eyes.

"You said that last time, and the time before that," chuckled a larger man to her right, his eyes creasing with his smile.

The woman scowled, her hands going up to readjust the brown buns covering both of her ears, "Yeah, well, I-!" Her more than likely brilliant retort was cut off when she seemed to notice her audience for the first time, "What?"

The droid swiveled its head a complete 360 degrees, looking around the crowd.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you," the woman said, kneeling down in front of the droid, "Whoever your owner is must have kak for brains, letting someone as expensive as you run around," her eyes widened when she checked the blue green band around its core, "No obedience chip, that's weird."

It whistled proudly.

"Hmm, I'm no expert on droids, that would be my _good for nothing husband,_" the woman said pointedly towards her monitor, "But I'd say you're a Kilobyte N-type astromechanical droid, probably a custom model," she pursed her lips, "Am I close?

K0-N0 let out a small beep.

Her pursed lips morphed into a frown, "Oh you are too, don't give me that," she scrutinized the small droid, "Looks like you don't have an owner," she mumbled, "And I could certainly use someone good with computers to help me with the shop, how about it? If someone shows up to claim you, I'll let you go, but until then it looks like you could really use a lubrication soak."

K0-N0 whistled happily.

"Well, that's settled then," the woman stood, looking at the monitor to see that Aburame Shino was gearing up for his second heat, "I'll take you back now, that way I don't have to watch him conveniently forget what a power accelerator is," she waved nonchalantly at the larger man next to her, "See you around."

He smiled, "Take care of yourself Tenten."

"Always do."

When she started walking towards the market portion of Nar Shadaar, K0-N0 followed her without a second's remorse.

---

Sakura's fists clenched closed as she made her way to the swoop racing docks, her teeth pressed together so tightly a groaning sound was emanating from them. This wasn't the first time she had to go seek out some hotshot bounty hunter that was after Sasuke, but like with all the other times she hoped this would be the last.

She felt the strange tingle on the back of her neck that had saved her countless times during the war, and she had to catch her breath for a moment. That's right, Jedi, not bounty hunter.

Her mind was fuzzy due to all the juma she had consumed, but it wasn't stupid yet. A Jedi on Nar Shadaar could only mean one thing: that Sasuke was now the prime suspect for Jedi Master Itachi's death.

Jedi. The word left a heavy bitterness in her like it did all veterans of the war, the war where the Jedi Council did nothing, watching entire planets be destroyed with a detachment more suited to a pazaak player counting cards. She honestly was surprised that more members of the Council hadn't been assassinated before now.

Her heart sped up as her legs broke into a sprint once the swoop racing viewing station became visible. She would stop the Jedi sent to capture Sasuke, just like she'd…convinced all the other bounty hunters that had come before him or her. There was no way she could live with herself if Sasuke became a prisoner of the Jedi Council.

---

Sai looked around the area carefully, his face a blank, unnerving mask as he took in the crowd of the swoop deck. Something that was almost irritation filled him as he realized that his droid was not among them. He was certain he had seen the K0-N0 unit enter this portion of the hub before he was sidetracked by the man and the thugs. The droid was long gone by now.

He heard a chorus of cheers as the favored racer beat the lowest time, and his eyes flickered up to one of the large viewing screens to see a man with a racer's hood, goggles, and high collar exit the swoop racer and take a pouch full of credits from one of the Hutts that was sponsoring the races.

He frowned minutely, turning to instead find someone to question in the crowd. His eyes landed on a big, happy looking man, who was gladly taking credits from a disgruntled looking Zabrak.

Sai approached the man carefully, plastering on his hugest smile, "Excuse me?"

The man turned from the Zabrak to stare at Sai, his happy face falling somewhat when he took in the robes and the lightsaber attached to his belt, "Yes?" The one word question was heavily guarded.

"Have you seen an astromechanical droid, a K0-N0 unit?"

The man shifted uncomfortably between his two feet, "I may have," he admitted, eyes once again landing on the lightsaber.

Sai's smile began to wane, and he pressed his two index fingers together, waving them in front of the man's eyes, "Where did the K0-N0 unit go?"

The man's face went lax, a glazed look covering his stare, "With Tenten."

"Where can I find Tenten?"

"She's an arms dealer in the Merchant's Quarter," the man droned.

Sai dropped the Force persuade he had over the man, politely bowing his head, "Thank you, Mr.-?"

The man blinked after leaving the trance, and somewhat confused, he muttered, "Akimichi."

"Mr. Akimichi, you've been most helpful," Sai said, preparing to head over to the arms dealer immediately.

However, when the Jedi turned around, he was surprised to see a pink haired woman standing in front of him. Her eyes were widened as they stared at him.

"S…Sasuke?" She whispered quietly, staring at Sai in a way not unlike the Akimichi had when under his trance.

Sai smiled, his luck was surely changing, "I am searching for an Uchiha Sasuke, yes."

His words were like a switch being thrown, and the woman's fists tensed as a sharpened look entered her gaze.

Sai kept smiling, as he had been instructed by his Masters that a pleasant disposition was the best way to enter a diplomatic conversation.

The last thing Sai heard before a strong stinging sensation hit, and possibly fractured, his cheek bone was the young woman crying shrilly.

"You stay the _kriff _away from Sasuke!"


	5. K0N0's Voice

**AN: **Thanks to Batsu Espada for helping me through a tough spot :o), wub you~!

**Chapter Four: K0-N0's Voice**

It was sweltering hot as she trudged through the forest, and she swore and tore off her helmet after the visor had fogged up completely for the eighth or ninth time since she had been dropped in this forsaken jungle. Her limbs were aching, as a gunrunner for the frontlines and demolitions expert it was her duty to carry most of the supplies and weapons, a position that made her equipment unbearably heavy and downright torturous in this climate.

She felt oddly naked without the traditional helm on her head, the maroon colored armor cradled against the matching chest plate, but she'd rather risk the vulnerability than face an opponent she couldn't see.

Her heavy boots stomped through the foliage, only stopping when she bent low to the ground to place a plasma, cryoban, or thermal detonation mine, her fingers tapping the datapad to signal the coordinates of the hidden weapons to her fellow Mandalorians.

She inhaled deeply again, her pack lightening but not enough to combat the fatigue from the heat, and she scolded herself for the millionth time that to succumb to the elements was not honorable. Her gloved hand swept back the dark brown hair that kept falling into her similarly colored eyes, and her other hand switched the datapad for a communicator.

"Base, this is Delta, I have planted all demolitions, over," she said into the speaker.

It hissed, the communication agent's voice on the other end coming through in a burst of static, _"Acknowledged. Any hostile encounters?"_

"Negative."

"_10-4."_

She switched off the communicator, placing it back into the utility belt around her hips. She sighed, reaching down to grab the water in her survival kit when a large blast flashed somewhere in the trees in front of her.

Her eyes narrowed, hands automatically going for the heavy blaster on her back as she forced herself to stand. She strained her ears, but she could make out the sound of repeating blaster fire, the large noises of grenades going off as well as the softer hum of energy shields.

Immediately, her hands went to her communicator, "Delta to Base, I believe I've located the scouting party."

"_Transfer your coordinates."_

"Coordinates transferred."

"_Die honorably. 10-4."_

The communication halted, and she pressed her lips tightly together, before freeing her hands and placing on her helmet, knowing she was about to encounter the enemy. Her hands then bent over to pick up her weapon, the left hand supporting the weight of her blaster as her right index finger teased the trigger.

She made her way through the trees as discreetly as possible when carrying enough ammunition to supply an entire squad, but when she finally reached the clearing, she found it hard to believe her eyes. She pulled the helmet off with one hand, and her grip on the blaster went slack.

Republic soldiers, tens of them, most of which were collapsed on the ground in angles that implied they were no longer alive, the red spirals on their back looking like targets. A few stragglers were still fighting, even more than that were retreating, running through the jungles.

Running through the jungles straight into mines that she had placed hours ago.

Her stare darted to the opposing side, _her _side, where a few squads of Mandalorians fought alongside Sith soldiers and Dark Jedi, outnumbering the fledgling Republic squads at a ratio of about twenty to one.

It showed with the casualties.

She dropped her gun. This was no battlefield.

A young Republic soldier, wearing the orange jumpsuit of a pilot, screamed something, lobbing a red grenade into the opposing forces before being clipped in the shoulder with Mandalorian fire. A girl about his age, wearing the medic's symbol, if she recalled correctly, was at his side almost immediately, administering a medpac to the wound while a mechanic stood above them, providing them cover with a light repeating blaster.

She swallowed. This was a slaughter.

More and more Republic soldiers dropped liked bantha flies, and it wasn't long before she heard the sounds of her mines going off, screams filling the air almost as potent as the smoke and the blaster fire.

Tenten threw her helmet on the ground, backing away towards the evacuation point.

There was no honor in this.

---

_Four years later…_

"Son of a nerf herder!" Tenten hissed, shuffling the hot caf to her other hand while trying to start a food processor with her elbow.

K0-N0 let loose a peal of mechanical laughter, the woman struggling to prepare dinner hilarious in its optical sensors.

Tenten blew away a strand of dark hair that had escaped her buns, "Laugh it up, you bucket of bolts, I hope you like having limited motor function for the rest of your miserable existence."

K0-N0 wisely stopped making any noise, wheeling up beside Tenten and offering his flat head as a tray for her to place her pot of caf on.

She smiled, "That's more like it," she set down the caf, her hands running over the food processor. A clump of some unidentifiable mush poured out of it and landed in the proffered bowl with a large 'schlump!' sound.

K0-N0 gave a tinny groan.

Tenten sniffed, offended, "It's edible!"

At that cue, the door to the shop/apartment where the Aburame family made their home swung open, a tired, slumped over man walking in.

"So I see it's not just the end of the swoop track that takes you awhile to get to," Tenten said, deliberately facing away from her husband as she shuffled ceramic bowls, glops of mush not moving with the bowl.

Shino slowly pulled down his racer's hood, revealing a tuft of matted dark brown hair, his hands taking off the thick bantha leather gloves on his hands.

"…I won my heat," there was a ghost of a smirk on his face as he made his way over to the table, not that anyone would see it with the tall collar of his jacket. When he sat, he leaned forward, folding his arms across his chest as his goggled eyes took in the newcomer, "Who's this?"

Tenten's eyes slid from the liberally titled dinner to the droid who was pretending to be a piece of the furniture, "That's a K-N unit, found him at the swoop tracks while I was watching you make a mockery of the competition." She was smiling.

Shino was silent, although his eyebrows rose just a fraction above the rims of his goggles, and he leaned back in his chair. The man's dark lenses never left the droid, and K0-N0 gave a low, nervous whistle, followed by rapidly rolling over to Tenten's side.

"I figured he can help me out with your half of the shop when you're away," Tenten said, giving the droid an absent double pat on the top of its head.

Shino inclined his head, "There's no ownership tag?"

"None that I can see, but we both know droids are _your _specialty," Tenten said, setting down a bowl of food for Shino. It made a heavy, echoing sound and Shino stared at it as if he were expecting it to leap up and go for his jugular, "Although that's enough shop talk for right now. We are going to pretend to be normal and eat dinner like a _normal _married couple," she set down the mug next to the bowl. The liquid hardly moved.

Tenten went back to the food processor and grabbed her own meal, taking a seat across from Shino, "Sorry about missing the last of your heats…you know how the races are on my blood pressure."

Shino quite noticeably smirked this time, as he unbuttoned his collar to brave the meal his wife had made.

"…hey, it's your fault," she said with a roll of her shoulders, digging into her mush, "So anything interesting happen?" She asked between very exaggerated chews.

"Something…strange happened tonight at the swoop tracks," was all her husband said, sipping from the mug of hot caf. He paused, whishing the liquid around in his mouth for a few beats before swallowing, "…it's gotten much better."

Tenten beamed, ruffling the top of his greasy, sweaty hair, "Good. But it's still your turn to make dinner tomorrow."

Shino let loose the rare smile, his face twisting slightly when his pudding crunched.

---

"…I believe that there has been some miscommunication," was the first thing Sai said when he could feel his jaw again, pushing himself up off of the floor. His eyes were trained on the woman who punched him, his muscles tense and his fingers flexing towards his lightsaber.

"Really? I thought I made myself clear," she said, her fist still clenched tight by her side.

"Sakura? What are you doing?" Came the fat man that Sai had hypnotized earlier, his face twisted into a mask of concern as he walked over to the woman, "You can't just punch Jedi!"

The woman, Sakura as the fat man had identified, turned to him, "Chouji, stay out of this," while her tone was softer than it had been with Sai, there was still a heavy undercurrent to it. She bowed her head, "This involves Sasuke."

Chouji's eyes widened, taking a few steps away from her, "…sorry," he mumbled, although he was still poised to intervene.

Sai's eyes drifted slowly from the violent woman to the man, mentally filing that both of them held a familiarity with Sasuke, 'Sakura' especially.

Sai closed his eyes for a moment, taking a second to draw a deep breath and regain his control before he proceeded. Rash action, especially on a planet such as this, would severely jeopardize his mission, and he couldn't risk two possible leads. The odds, at least for now, were in his favor.

He opened his eyes, and forced a huge smile onto his face, "I'm afraid we have gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm Sai, Jedi Knight, and I have been sent on an important mission by the Council on Coruscant. I would appreciate any assistance in the matter," he bowed.

Sakura only glared at him, but she crossed her arms over her chest. Sai noticed she leaned far too much on one side, a sign of drunkenness if the slur to her speech hadn't given her away, "I bet it hurts to smile like that."

Sai forced his smile wider, his cheek throbbing, "Terribly."

"What do you want with Sasuke?"

"The Council-"

"What do _you _want with Sasuke?"

Sai stood up from his bow, realizing it wouldn't be returned anytime that century, "I am to locate, detain, and ship wanted criminal Uchiha Sasuke to Coruscant for trial."

Her nostrils flared, "Ship? _Ship?!_ Sasuke is a _person _not some piece of cargo you miserable-"

"Sakura, calm down-" Chouji said.

"I told you to stay out of this!" Sakura snapped, and it was clear that the substances she had consumed earlier were clouding her rationality.

Chouji frowned, looking almost hurt as he backed a few steps away from her.

"I'm going to tell you this one more time before I get ugly," Sakura whispered stepping close to Sai. He could feel her hot breath, reeking of juma juice, on his face. She bunched a fistful of his robes near his throat, "Leave Sasuke alone."

Sai continued smiling, "That is not possible."

He heard her knuckles crack, "It wasn't a request."

"That is irrelevant."

She wobbled a bit, her feet unsteady, and her head lowered so it seemed as if she was addressing Sai's chest, "Don't make me hurt a Jedi."

Sai frowned, that time her voice was much softer when speaking.

"Sakura, stop it," Chouji said, louder this time as he seemed to finally decide on a course of action.

"Chouji let me handle this!" She all but screamed, slamming her fist against Sai's throat, he gave no reaction other than the slightest wavering of his smile.

"Sakura." Chouji's face was no longer kind, rather drawn into a tight line as he grabbed her by the shoulders, "You're in no condition to fight-"

"What do you know about being ready to fight, Chouji?" She asked darkly, juma releasing her inner demons little by little.

"I know you getting killed by a lightsaber isn't going to help Sasuke," Chouji said quietly, dragging Sakura away from Sai. Her fingers clung desperately to the fabric of Sai's Jedi robes before Chouji managed to separate the two.

"Listen, Jedi," Sakura said softly, only halfway struggling against Chouji, "Abandon your mission, if you know what's good for you. Chasing after Sasuke will only end in pain for you," her eyes glazed over for a moment, "I would know."

"Sakura, let's go…" Chouji insisted, wrapping one of his large arms around her shoulders and steering her away.

Sai watched the pair leave, his mind already forming deductions and facts based upon the brief encounter.

She was indeed ugly with him.

He needed to return to _The Paper Tiger _and locate the files on Uchiha Sasuke, there was much research to be done.

But first, he had an errant astromech to find.

---

"Tenten?"

"Yeah?" Tenten called from over the divider of the Aburame shop, her attention focused on unjamming the carbine for a heavy repeating blaster. She was surrounded by rows upon rows of weapons lining her half of the shop.

"…Where did you find this droid?" Her husband's lower voice traveled from his side, littered with droids and parts. K0-N0 was immobile under his palms, its core processor open as Shino rifled through the droid's wiring, searching for either an ownership tag or an obedience chip.

"I told you, at the swoop track," Tenten said, her tongue poking out as she finished assembling the blaster.

"…I suggest we bring it back there."

Tenten's eyebrows furrowed, and she set aside the fixed gun, "What?"

"It's a custom model."

She sighed, standing up slowly and walking across the large expanse of space until she moved around the divider. She leaned against the wall, watching with curious brown eyes as Shino continued investigating the droid.

"So? Finder's keepers on Nar Shadaar, everyone knows that."

"It's tagged. Republic," Shino didn't look up, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he lowered a binary visor over his eyes.

Tenten felt something like a durasteel brick drop in her stomach, and she pushed herself off the wall, "Almost everything without an owner is tagged Republic," she mumbled, starting to nervously readjust the buns on her head.

"Whoever made this droid was a genius," Shino said flatly, "It's impervious to memory wipes, obedience chips, and overriding programs…" his eyebrows creased further as he withdrew his tools from the core processor, shutting the flap before shifting his attention to the memory core, "…and…there's an anomaly."

Tenten snorted, "An anomaly."

"It's impervious to memory wipes, but there appears to be…blocks."

"Blocks?"

"There's information stored in this droid's databanks," Shino ran the back of his hand across his forehead, "Information that can't be accessed."

Tenten stared at the lifeless droid, a scrutinizing look covering her face, "So what would be the point of that?"

Shino shook his head, "It's too complex. It'd need an expert-"

"I thought _you _were an expert-"

"I was just a tech, we both know that…" Shino's eyes widened behind the binary visor, his hands tensing for a moment before a hiss of static filled the air, "I…believe I've found something-"

The static hissed louder, followed by several broken words.

"…_don't…a lot…time…Sarutobi…find…Uzumaki…holocron…Dantooine…the rest of the…fodder…up to him…before Coruscant…trust no one…irritating…Orochimaru-"_

Tenten frowned, "An auditory recording?"

"…_don't…a lot…time…"_

Shino shook his head, "A hologram. I've skimmed the surface of it, but it would take a master technician to break the security perimeters."

"_Sarutobi…find…Uzumaki…holocron…"_

"What is this supposed to mean?" Tenten murmured, ears straining to hear past the static.

"…_Dantooine…the rest of the…fodder-"_

Shino frowned, "Military code?"

"No," Tenten shot down immediately, "The voice…it sounds so familiar…"

Shino stared long and hard at his wife, "Mandalorian?"

"…unlikely."

"_-up to him…"_

"I have a bad feeling about this," Shino said quietly, hands withdrawing from K0-N0's wiring.

"_-Before Coruscant…"_

Tenten stood behind him, watching the shutdown astromech with a heavy feeling in her chest, "…that makes two of us."

"…_trust no one…"_


	6. The War Records

**Chapter Five: The War Records**

"Intelligence? You?" Sakura said with a lopsided smirk, her hands preoccupied between swirling around the cafeteria food and scrolling down a medical datapad.

"And espionage," Ino replied automatically, her eyebrows furrowing a second after the words were out of her mouth, "And what's that supposed to mean? Just because I don't have a forehead the size of the Outer Rim doesn't mean it's empty upstairs!"

Sakura's smirk spread, "I just don't see you lying low."

The other girl sniffed, mock offended as she tossed a curtain of blonde hair over her shoulder, "I can do subtle when I need to."

Her best friend snorted, skipping past the section on the effects of plasma heat on the body that she had read a thousand times.

"What? I can!"

"Whatever you say."

"It's true! I'm assigned to General Morino's squadron after graduation," Ino said with pride, "Special operative missions lined up and everything."

Sakura stopped swirling the food on her plate, her face downcast at yet another reminder that her friends from Onderon were already getting positions and ranks, war being a surefire way towards quick promotions. So far, she and Naruto were the only ones without guaranteed assignments.

"Both you and Shikamaru now," she said quietly, forcing a smile onto her face, "That's great."

Ino seemed to notice the depressed air about her friend, because she quickly forced a smile onto her face, "Don't worry Forehead, with a brain like yours I'm sure you'll get a good position," her smile wavered, "…Force knows the Republic could use a few good field medics."

Sakura matched her friend's forced expression, "Thanks Ino."

She rolled her eyes dismissively, "Don't thank me, I'm just telling you what you already know."

The two girls fell silent for a few moments as both of them ignored their lunches, their thoughts light years away.

Ino cradled her face in her hand, her blue eyes staring out at nothing as her food remained untouched. When she finally spoke, her tone was absent minded, "Chouji holomessaged me and Shikamaru today."

Sakura looked up from her notes for the first time, "How is he?"

"He's fine. Says the cantina's doing great."

"Your mom?"

"Enjoying retirement, wishing my dad would do the same," Ino said, a tiny grin escaping her, "Chouji also sent us some nerf flakes, but Shikamaru ate them all. Stupid Gamorrean."

Sakura set down the porridge she had been eating, staring Ino straight in the face, "Y'know, it's okay to admit you miss him."

Ino rolled her eyes again, standing up abruptly, "Don't start with that load of kak again Sakura, we're going to be late for combat training if you begin waxing sentimental."

Sakura sighed, but picked up her things as she followed her fellow academy student towards the simulators.

---

_Five years later…_

She groaned as her puffy eyelids creaked open, her head pounding like a war drum as she desperately fought down the urge to vomit. Her mind recognized the feel of a sofa underneath her, plush and soft despite the fact that she felt her brain was being forced through an ion canon.

"Kriff…" she mumbled, forcing her mind to focus as she pushed herself into a sitting position on the couch. Her eyes took in the apartment- minimally furnished with a low table, a love seat, and a holovid display. She hissed, the lights sending bright, searing pain through her.

"You should take better care of yourself," came the voice of Chouji as he entered the room, his fingers digging into a bag of nerf flakes. He tossed a few into his mouth, and the resounding crunch felt like an earthquake to her.

"How much did I drink last night?" She whispered, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead.

Her friend shrugged, chewing loudly, "No idea. I didn't run into you last night until you punched that Jedi."

Jedi.

_Jedi._

Kriff.

"…I punched a Jedi."

"Yeah."

"_Kriff._"

"I'm surprised, actually. I heard most Jedi use the Force to predict their opponent's moves. He should've been able to dodge it," Chouji said conversationally, sitting next to Sakura on the sofa.

Sakura frowned, "He was after Sasuke."

Chouji's face fell somber, "So you reminded me."

Sakura looked at him for a brief moment before staring at her hands in her lap. She couldn't say she was sorry, because she wasn't. This was _Sasuke_, and Chouji knew how important that was. At the same time, she didn't like seeing the forlorn expression on her childhood friend's face, nor hearing his quiet voice.

"…I don't know if I can fight off the entire Jedi Council," she whispered instead.

Chouji tossed in a few more flakes into his mouth, "You knew this was coming."

Sakura sighed, her hands clenching around the blanket that Chouji put on her after she had passed out, "I can't give up on him."

"Maybe you should. It's almost been three years. This is more than a bounty hunter-"

"_Two _bounty hunters."

"-more than what you or Naruto can handle," he crunched a flake between his teeth.

"You don't think we know that?" Sakura said, feeling her temper flare up not at Chouji, but at the reason he presented.

"I think you both ignore it."

Sakura grit her teeth, twisting the blanket, "We can't let them get him, Chouji."

Chouji fell silent, "…I understand. But you have to use your head, Sakura. Jedi don't mess around. They're not the usual thugs, and they won't give up just because you uppercut them across the face."

A ghost of a smile crawled onto Sakura's mouth, but it quickly vanished, "Then what should I do?"

Chouji was quiet for a few moments, looking away from her and out of the spaceport window framing his slum apartment, "If it were Ino," she flinched at the name, "I would want to be out there, looking for her before the Council got there first."

Sakura could feel the hot tears of frustration building up in her eyes, both at Sasuke's situation and Ino's memory. She forced them down as she swallowed thickly, "I don't have a ship. Or any idea where to start looking."

Chouji rested a large hand on her shoulder, "Maybe it's time you message Naruto."

She tensed under it, "I can't."

"Sakura-"

"I won't," she said firmly.

"But he-"

"Why don't you get a hold of Shikamaru then?" She said, her eyes never leaving her hands.

Chouji fell silent, the hand on her shoulder dropping into his own lap.

"It's not that easy, is it?" She questioned somewhat rhetorically.

"No. It's not," he admitted.

Sakura sighed, running a hand through her hair before standing up, "If I get rid of that Jedi, they'll just send another one to replace him. I have to find a way to get the Council's attention off of Sasuke, wherever he is."

"How are you going to do that?" Chouji asked, watching her wearily.

"Anyway I can. Even if it means turning myself in for the murder of Itachi."

"Sakura, you can't do that-"

"The war taught me I can do anything I have to," she brushed off, stepping into her boots on the floor, "Who knows? Maybe a death sentence from the Jedi Council will get his attention."

"The Jedi don't kill prisoners, everyone knows that."

"Then what do they do with them?"

He didn't have an answer.

Sakura snapped on the last buckle for her boots before slinging on her gun holster, "Someone on this planet has to know where Sasuke went after the war. I found a veteran's cantina last night, maybe someone there has seen him."

"Sounds risky."

"Risky's what I do now," she said, sounding sad before zipping up her red vest, "And Chouji?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for bringing me to your couch."

He chuckled grimly, "I doubt it will be the last time."

"I hope it isn't."

---

Sai sat in his quarters on _The Paper Tiger, _his eyes focused on the datapad that Juugo had given him, quickly scanning through the files in search for the names of either Akimichi Chouji or Sakura. Sleep had eluded the Jedi Knight, his thoughts far too preoccupied on his run in with the ugly young woman, as well as his desire to find the K0-N0 unit. He had located the weapons' shop owned by Aburame Tenten, but the place had been locked shut, hours scrolling on the wall in Basic. While he was tempted to simply break into the store and search for the astromechanical droid, he had stopped those thoughts with a reminder to lay low on this mission. Not that that plan had been working out so well for him. His cheek still throbbed.

He decided to make the most of his obstacles, something Danzou had instructed him to do as a means of channeling his energy into the most productive outcome. Instead of camping in front of the store until this Tenten woman showed up, he took the time to purchase a set of civilian clothes and blaster off of a dock merchant, as well as retreat back to his ship in order to finish the research on Uchiha Sasuke, and to look for a possible connection between the people he had met last night.

So far, there had been nothing, as most of the information was comprised of Uchiha Sasuke's war accomplishments. The teenaged mechanic and technology specialist had an entire file dedicated to his accomplishments. Top placement scores and early graduation with the Republic military academy at the age of fourteen, a distinguished Badge of Merit at the Battle of Kiri, along with a special decoration for battling on the enemy ship's bridge against Sith Lord Zabuza and his apprentice Haku. He was awarded for bravery at the Battle on Kono-ha, a battle that had been nicknamed the "Forest of Death" due to its extravagantly high casualties on the Republic side when they had been ambushed by Mandalorian and Sith forces. He went on to be promoted to the rank of Captain, defeating several Mandalorian warriors in hand to hand battle, and was said to be the next recipient for the Cross of Honor.

All of this before he was eighteen. Logically, it didn't make sense. Uchiha Sasuke appeared to be the model soldier, a hero for the Republic. Yet his merits and awards were revoked, his military rank gone and his service dishonorably discharged. His face was now pictured on several wanted marks by the few pockets of Republic resistance that still existed for deserting his post and supposedly joining Sith forces. That, coupled with his suspected murder of Jedi Master Uchiha Itachi, made Sai focus intently on his file, searching for clues that would signify the reason why this soldier performed a complete one eighty.

There were none.

Sai inhaled, rubbing his eyes with fatigue as he pressed another key on the datapad, this time cross referencing the names Akimichi Chouji and Sakura with Uchiha Sasuke in the Republic data bases.

The name Akimichi Chouji brought up nothing-- although there was a file on Akimichi Chouza--but his eyes widened momentarily when the picture of the same pink haired woman was brought up alongside a military record longer than Sasuke's.

Haruno Sakura, as she was listed in Republic archives, was quite possibly the most highly decorated field medic in the military. An Academy graduate that scored the highest on intelligence tests and average in combat, along with a special distinction of honor for the medical academia. She too, had received a Badge of Merit for the Battle of Kiri, along with the same special distinction Uchiha Sasuke had received. She was also listed as an awarded soldier for the Battle at Kono-ha, along with a personal mark of honor for her role in saving lives in the line of fire from Admiral Hatake himself. She too, was given the rank of Captain. After the Battle of Kono-ha, the file read that she stayed in the Republic military, being named Assistant Chief of the Medical Division on the Republic's flagship _Will of Fire _at the extraordinarily young age of seventeen. It listed an honorable discharge shortly thereafter, for reasons unspecified in the file.

Sai's eyes widened, and his mind automatically put two and two together when he saw that she had been listed as the field medic for Squad Seven, a small, elite strike force put together by the Republic.

Uchiha Sasuke had been that squad's mechanic.

The woman who had fractured his cheek bone last night was a former squad mate with Uchiha Sasuke. Sai quickly read the rest of the roster, surprised that just one other name was listed: Uzumaki Naruto, the squad's pilot. Their only commanding officer was Admiral Hatake Kakashi, whose file was inaccessible to Sai without ten different sort of security clearances, four of which were not at the Council's disposal.

He leaned back in his chair, setting the datapad down on the bunk for a moment while he attempted to process the new information he had accessed. Pieces were falling into place, the woman--Sakura's--bizarre reaction towards him, her anger.

Uchiha Sasuke had betrayed her, that much was obvious from the differences in their service records. He could use that to his advantage. As his medic, Sakura logically was one of the last people to see Sasuke before his desertion, her and Uzumaki Naruto.

And Sakura was on the same planet as him, the very same spaceport.

The coincidences were too great to ignore, the Force had guided Sai here, and Sakura would present an opportunity for him to succeed in his mission.

The only obstacle in his way was getting her to cooperate with him.

And the fact that the droid with all the navigational coordinates and star charts had run away from him.

Sai closed his heavy eyes, folding his legs and levitating slightly off of the ground as he focused on entering a meditative trance. Perhaps the Force would have the answers the rest of this backwater planet didn't.

---

"Closed," Sakura muttered without humor as she read the scrolling light posted above Cantina Yamato!, "Typical."

She stood in front of the building, one hand on her hip near her credit pouch, the other on her blaster-- such was the way of Nar Shadaar. She had finally managed to dispel her Force awful hangover, and she had headed to the cantina immediately after she had cleaned herself up in the refresher unit.

But Cantina Yamato!, and all of its leads, were closed.

Typical.

She exhaled in annoyance, fingers tucking away her errant hair that escaped the red ribbon holding it back. According to the scrolling text, the place would be closed until nightfall, and she could only assume there wouldn't be much progress on this end of things.

Her hand on the credit pouch moved, jostling the money thoughtfully. Perhaps she now had enough to make a payment on the _Cosmo,_ knowing where Sasuke was wasn't going to do her much help if she didn't have a means of getting there. She inhaled deeply, giving the cantina one last longing look before heading towards the docks, her boots making a heavy clunking noise against the metal ground of the space station.

Her mind was light-years away as she made her way across the bustling city port, her head trying to get a handle on how much time she had versus how much time she needed to get the money to pay for the repairs on her ship. Even with the liberal discount Tazuna had given her, there was no way she'd be near ready for flight before the Jedi had a lead and was off across the galaxy somewhere.

But the real question was, where was the Jedi going to find a lead where she, Sasuke's ex squad mate and former Republic solider, couldn't? The Council had their fingers in everything, from the spy networks to the criminal Exchange. The Jedi, Sai if she remembered correctly, had to have connections she didn't--even on Nar Shadaar.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Jedi were renowned for their intellect, and it wouldn't take someone with Shikamaru's mental capacity to notice that she and Sasuke had a connection, not with how she had reacted to the news. Sakura bit her lower lip. If the Jedi had half a brain, he would have searched the Republic databanks and drawn up her name by now--as well as her relationship to Sasuke. It's what she would have done, it's what she _did _do, when searching for a bounty.

If she were correct, it was only a matter of time before a Jedi Knight was knocking on her door and hypnotizing answers out of her.

Fortunately for Sakura, and for Sasuke, she had no idea where he went after the second battle on Kono-ha. No one did, other than…

She cringed, feeling something like shyrock legs crawling down her neck.

Sakura shook her head as she entered the docking area. There was a way to flip the tables on this Jedi, she just had to be smart and subtle about it. If she played the cards right, she could be led right to her missing teammate, and then she would find a way to clear his name with both the Republic and Council, and Sasuke would get a hold of Naruto and then--

"Excuse me," a hooded man said softly after bumping into her shoulder, his face hidden by a pair of tinted goggles and a cowl.

Sakura quickly made sure her credits were still in place. They were, "Not a problem," she said quietly, but the man had already pressed forward into the crowd. A few seconds later, a small astromechanical droid beeped, swerved around Sakura, and took after the man.

She sighed, perhaps it was time to focus on the here and now instead of getting ahead of herself. She turned into Docking Bay Three, and she wasn't surprised to find the place nearly bare, save for a younger teenaged boy sitting behind a desk with a bored expression.

"Inari," Sakura greeted with one of her rare smiles, and he immediately straightened in his seat.

"Hey Sakura," he replied with a far bigger smile, "Long time no see!"

She rubbed the back of her neck, "Haven't had credits in a while."

Inari awkwardly looked around, trying desperately to find something to reply to that with.

Sakura forced a soft chuckle, "Is your grandfather around?"

Inari brightened, "Yeah, just a sec, I'll get him," he got out of his seat and ran around a corner. After a few seconds, Sakura heard a muted yell, "HEY GRAMPS, SAKURA'S HERE!!!"

"DON'T YELL INARI, I'M NOT DEAF YET!"

"YOU'RE YELLING TOO!"

"I'M OLD!"

A few footsteps later and Tazuna entered the room. The war had not been kind to him, a former engineer and ship designer for the Republic, the Battle of Kiri had left its marks. His eyes were bloodshot with deep baggies under them, and his hair, once kept neat in a military cut, was now shaggy and wild. In his hand was a bottle of tarisian ale.

He saw her eying the bottle, scratched his belly, and muttered, "What?" Before taking a long drink from it.

Sakura grinned, "Nothing," she paused, unhooking the pouch from her belt, "I think I have enough for the new hyperdrive."

"Good, your bucket of bolts is ruining the aesthetics of this place."

"I'm your only customer."

He smiled, "What's your point?"

She made a show of rolling her eyes, emptying out the bag and counting out the chips, "I have three thousand."

Tazuna's eyebrows rose from behind his torch visor, and a low, long whistle escaped from beneath his lower teeth, "Sakura, kid, I told you, it'll be at least five. And that's for a junker."

She winced, but she could feel the urges of desperation go through her, "Tazuna, I need those parts."

He sat in the place formerly occupied by Inari, "I realize that, but the problem with Nar Shadaar is that _everyone _needs parts. Half the Republic fleet end up staying here because they can't make it home."

"…They've sent a Jedi after Sasuke."

Tazuna looked down, and took another long drink from his bottle, "…A Jedi."

"Yeah. And I need to find him before he does."

"Kid, the lowest I can do is-"

She bit her lip, her fists clenching, "…I saved your life. Please help me save Sasuke's."

Tazuna fell silent, taking another drink, "I know that. My family owes much to Squad Seven, but the only ones who have the parts you need are the Hutts and the Exchange, and neither group believes in discounts."

She inhaled deeply, trying to decide how far she could, and should, take this. After a few moments, she felt herself give up, "Let me know if anything comes up, consider this a down payment," she said somberly, tossing the pouch at Tazuna.

He backed up in his seat, fingers fumbling with the pouch as he stared at the girl who would always be the youngster that was thrown into a war far too big for her. He sighed, "I'll do my best, but no promises."

She nodded, "That's all I can ask."

Tazuna stood up, cracking his neck from side to side, "Be careful, kid. Something fishy is going on here at Nar Shadaar, I don't want you caught up in it."

She smirked, "I'll do my best, but no promises."

Tazuna returned the expression, "Smartass kids today with no respect for their elders."

"I haven't been a kid for a while," Sakura said, heading towards the exit, "I'll stop by tomorrow."

Tazuna nodded, "See you then. Take care."

"You too," Sakura replied.

When the door to Tazuna's slid close, Sakura leaned her head back against the wall, looking at the sky and wondering when the universe was going to cut her a break.


End file.
